Indian Premier League franchise Delhi Capitals on Saturday announced the appointment of Colonel Vinod Bisht as interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO) after Dhiraj Malhotra, who held the position for the last two years, decided to move on. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dhiraj for his time and efforts for our franchise," DC Chairman Kiran Kumar Grandhi said in an official statement. "It has been a remarkable last two seasons for Delhi Capitals, and Dhiraj has been a crucial part of it. All of us at the franchise would like to wish him the very best for his future endeavours," he added.
"Dhiraj will always remain a part of the DC family. I would like to thank him for his tremendous role in getting DC to where it is off the field," team co-owner Parth Jindal said.
"I wish him all the very best. Delhi Capitals will now put its best foot forward to take the team's performance to the next level under the able guidance of Colonel Bisht," he added.
Colonel Vinod Bisht is a Paratrooper with over two decades in the Indian Army. The IIM-A alumni has been a part of the Delhi-based franchise from its inception. He will take charge as interim CEO of Delhi Capitals with immediate effect.
Delhi Capitals are set to conduct the DC Junior Cricket League between February 21 to March 6, across three venues in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR).
Delhi Capitals said that the 40-overs-a-side tournament, which is open to players in the Under 14 age group, will feature the region's top 16 academies.
"The U-14 age group is a crucial one for any cricketer aspiring to play the sport professionally, but at the moment, it's a bit unstructured, and there are not too many opportunities. Our aim is to provide children in this age group a solid platform to showcase their talent," Jagrit Anand, Head of DC Academies, said in a statement.
The teams will be divided into four pools for the tournament. Each team will play three league matches, following which there will be quarter-finals, semi-final and a final.
DC Academies have resumed coaching in all three venues this year, after a hiatus owing to the coronavirus pandemic.
The team registrations for the DC Junior Cricket League 2021 are now open.